After years of work, the City of Independence officially has a new teen center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony helped launch the facility on Tuesday afternoon.

There are more than 7,000 teenagers in the Kansas City metropolitan area who have to decide what to do during the summer or after school when classes resume in the fall. The facility is a safe, positive place to help them stay out of trouble.

There's a computer lab, a gymnasium and a game room available for the young people. It helps to fill a void left after two YMCA locations in Independence closed down last year.

Before the $1.6 million facility opened Tuesday, the city said it was able to serve 75 to 80 teenagers per day. Now, they can help an extra 100 teenagers.

Organizations like the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Power and Light helped to secure the funding for the project.

The Boys and Girls Clubs said the money was well-spent because they're helping young people go on to attend college and be successful.

"We have facilities that will allow our teens to do homework, do different things with graphic design, weightlifting," said Jamel Malone, a Boys and Girls Clubs teen services director.

The facility is open from 2-8 p.m. during the school year. During the summer, it's available for young people from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.